This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
The zeolite clinoptilolite, a microporous arrangement of silica and alumina tetrahedra (e.g., sodium aluminosilicate) is a non-water-soluble, non-bioabsorbable salt with a three dimensional honeycomb configuration. Due to its three dimensional configuration, clinoptilolite can attract and retain various heavy metals in vitro. Based on this property, clinoptilolite is used in commercially available filters in various applications ranging from household water filtration to oil industry gas filtration. Several attempts have been made to take advantage of the properties of clinoptilolite in vivo. Such attempts, including associated commercially available nutrition supplement products, have included simple water suspensions of clinoptilolite and not water-soluble solutions thereof. These products fail to bring clinoptilolite's ability to remove heavy metals in vivo. If orally administered, a clinoptilolite water suspension will release clinoptilolite into the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, but this will not result in GI absorption of clinoptilolite. Clinoptilolite administered in this fashion is simply eliminated from the body after a number of bowel movements.
There is a need for a water-soluble clinoptilolite formulation that can be orally administered and absorbed in the GI tract, where the absorbed clinoptilolite retains the ability to bind various heavy metals.